Mohammed Shosanya

Professor Abiodun Raufu, a former editor of Nigerian Tribune and an Assistant Professor at Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, USA,has advised President Bola Tinubu has to declare a state of emergency in the agriculture sector.

He should also lead the revolution in Nigeria by actively engaging in farming along with other innovative policies that will ensure food sufficiency in the country,he said in a statement on Wednesday

He acknowledged the recent announcement by the federal government to engage in massive food import

He said food import is just a stop-gap measure, arguing that a state of emergency would allow for the mobilization of resources and enable the government to implement swift and comprehensive measures to address the immediate needs of farmers, restore damaged farmlands, improve security in the rural areas and introduce modern agricultural practices that can withstand future challenges.

Lauding the president for directing that all arable military land across the country should be cultivated,Raufu said tackling the challenge of food security is a task that requires the involvement of all Nigerians beginning with the president who must lead by engaging in some form of agriculture himself.

According to him, the First lady has done well by showing her garden farm, but the symbolism associated with the president also engaging in some sort of farming in his spare time can be so powerful and capable of encouraging Nigerians to embrace agriculture at different levels, backyard farming in this difficult period, particularly at this time of the year when rain is in abundance.

“A country like Nigeria with large expanse of arable and fertile land should not be complaining about food shortage and hunger, when countries like Israel and even the United States with less fertile land produces food in excess. With the right agricultural policies and leadership, we should be talking about preservation of excess agricultural produce and its exportation, Professor Raufu said.

“Since difficult times requires un-usual solutions, I will go as far as also suggesting that all political leaders at all levels should also lead by example by engaging in some level of farming to encourage people to join in warding off the hunger and starvation that majority of Nigerians are currently experiencing.

According to him,the government at all levels can tackle the problem of food insecurity through a multi-faceted approach using the local government authorities as the pivot for agricultural revolution by investing heavily in farm machineries, rural development, massive introduction of high yield seeds among other ideas.

Mohammed Shosanya

The President of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (www.AfDB.org) has said the decision by Nigeria’s government to allow massive food importation risks destroying the country’s agriculture.

This follows the announcement by Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture Abubakar Kyari on July 10 that the Federal Government would suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through the country’s land and sea borders, for 150 days.

“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing,” Adesina told African Primates of the Anglican Church at a Retreat in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday.

He warned that the policy could undermine all the hard work and private investments that have gone into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.

“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilize prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices, while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending, that will further help stabilize the Naira,” said the African Development Bank president.

“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity,” he said, “Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation.”

Speaking on the theme ‘Food security and financial sustainability in Africa: The role of the Church’, Adesina said Nigeria “must feed itself with pride,” warning, “a nation that depends on others to feed itself, is independent only in name.”

In his opening remarks, the host, His Grace the Most Reverend Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), said the gathering was a unique opportunity for African Anglican leaders to deepen bonds of friendship and collaboration, and to share collective wisdom and experiences.

The chairperson of the event, Emeritus Nigerian Professor of Science Education, Olugbemiro Jegede, told Adesina: “You have the whole of Africa represented here. Every Primate represents a region. Behind these Primates are millions and millions of Anglicans who are listening to us here.”

Noting that Africa accounts for nearly a third of the more than 780 million people worldwide who are hungry, the African Development Bank president said agriculture is critical for the diversification of economies, and for the transformation of rural areas, where over 70 percent of the population of Africa live. “It is clear therefore that unless we transform agriculture, Africa cannot eliminate poverty,” he insisted.

Adesina said Africa has 65 percent of the uncultivated arable land left in the world, to feed 9.5 billion people by 2050. Therefore, what Africa does with agriculture will determine the future of food in the world. “Essentially, food is money. The size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will reach $1 trillion by 2030.”

Adesina briefed the Primates on the Bank’s $25 billion program to transform agriculture by providing high performing agricultural technologies for 40 million farmers and making Africa food self-sufficient by 2030.

He shared the Bank’s successes in helping member countries tackle the negative effects of climate change, through financial investments and its flagship Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program.

According to the Bank president, TAAT has helped Ethiopia to become a net exporter of wheat within five years, and it has significantly increased Sudan’s wheat production, as well as supported countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to continue producing food in the face of a prolonged drought.

For Nigeria, Adesina said, “Together with the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, we have provided $520 million to support the establishment of Special Agricultural Processing Zones, which will allow private agribusinesses to establish industries that process and add value to agricultural commodities.”

In addition, the Bank provided $134 million to Nigeria for emergency food production to help drive down food price inflation, by significantly boosting the local production of wheat, and cassava, under the national Agricultural Growth Scheme.

Adesina urged the Nigerian government to take advantage of the Bank’s investments and support for African farmers; show greater determination and commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency, and to incentivize private sector agribusinesses.

To support Africa’s ambitions to move up the global agricultural value chains, the African Development Bank Group and its partners, are supporting the development of 28 Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) l in 11 countries, with $4.5 billion dollars mobilized so far.

Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa and Bishop of Northern Zambia, the Most Reverend Albert Chama, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Most Reverend Dr. Jackson Ole Sapit, called for greater cooperation between the Bank Group and the Anglican Church.

“The African mind must be at the center of solving African problems. If the African Development Bank mobilizes resources for the African continent, and the Church also mobilizes resources for holistic transformation, we can achieve a lot working together – and make a difference,” Ole Sapit said.

Proposing solutions for agriculture in Africa, Adesina said the world desperately needs “visionary and passionate leaders who are strategic solution providers and transformational change makers.”

This includes, he said, public advocacy for robust government policies to end hunger and malnutrition, complemented by church-led food banks and other social protection programs for the poor and needy; investing in commercial farms, especially in rural areas; advocacy on issues of climate change; supporting and encouraging young Africans to engage in agricultural entrepreneurship; and demanding greater financial accountability, public probity, and better financial management from governments.

Mohammed Shosanya

Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA),an international NGO,has introduced rice farmers in Nasarawa State to cost- effective harvest technologies to reduce post-harvest losses.

Dr.Godwin Atser, Country Director of SAA, stated this at the “Brown” field day organised at weekend for farmers in Lafia, and Doma Local Government Areas of state.

He explained that the training of the farmers on the mechanised harvest system is part of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Policy and Human Resource Development Grant (PHRDG 1) being implemented by SAA in Nigeria and Benin Republic.

The country director,who was represented by the Mr Idris Garko, Coordinator of the PHRDG 1 in the state, said that having trained the farmers to improve their rice yield using technology and best agronomic practices, it became imperative to introduce them to mechanised harvest method that would help to reduce post-harvest losses.

According to him, studies have shown that rice farmers in Nigeria incur between 10 per cent to 35 per cent post-harvest losses using the traditional method of harvesting.

He, however, explained that with the use of simple machines like motorised reaper and thresher, such losses would be drastically reduced.

He added that the technologies would save the farmers cost in terms of labour and time, and ensure they got quality rice grains from farms for marketing.

He noted that although the machines are expensive and not readily available, SSA had identified indigenous innovative fabricators that could produce effective local versions of the imported machines and link up farmers to them.

“As part of this project, we recently brought these fabricators together in Lafia to interface and see how they could produce these machines and the outcomes of that engagement was quite impressive.

“We also link up the fabricators to dealers in spare parts for the machines to ensure easy assess,” he said.

He said that the farmer were encouraged to form cooperatives where they could pull resources together to acquire the machines since they might be too expensive to acquire individually.

“As a group, the machines would also become a source of income for them. Apart from using it in their farms, they could generate revenue from it by using it for other farmers outside the group and be paid,” he said.

He further explained that the technical team of SAA would be on ground within the next two years to guide the farmers on the operations and routine maintenance of the machines.

Some of the farmers,commended SSA for the intervention and expressed commitment towards acquiring the machines.

Mr Yusuf Kuje, a rice farmer in Alagye in Doma, said that the effectiveness of the machines in harvesting and threshing was unbelievable.

“You can see that a plot of rice farm that could take 10 persons almost an hour to harvest using the manual traditional method was done in just about 10 minutes with the use of the motorised reaper machine.

“The thresher is another interesting machine that saves more time and energy that would have been dissipated in beating the rice. It threshes the dried rice and the grain come out very clean.

“I will work closely with other farmers in my community to leverage the opportunity provided by Sasakawa to link us with the fabricators in order to get our own machines, ” he added.

Besides,Mr Abdullah Otsonu, a rice farmer in Assakio, Lafia, said that given the effectiveness of the machines, rice production would become more exciting and interesting to the teeming youths in the community.

Mohammed Shosanya

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State,says his administration will soon establish a state-of-the-art cassava farm spanning 100,000 hectares within the state.

The governor signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a leading Nigerian investment company – Cavista Holdings (owners of Agbeyewa Farms Limited)

The MOU,which is worth billions of naira was signed by Governor Oyebanji and the Chairman of Cavista Holdings, Niyi John Olajide on the sidelines of the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit currently ongoing in Dallas, USA.

Present at the signing ceremony were the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Adeoye Aribasoye; Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade; Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Tayo Adeola; Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akin Oyebode; and Commissioner for Budget, Planning and Performance Management, Mr Niyi Adebayo.

On the Cavista Team were the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Dele Odufuye, Chief Financial Officer, Mr Niran Olajide, Dr. Niyi Arije (Legal Director) Mr. Cyril Akika (Member of the Board of Directors) and senior management staff of the company.

Also present were Chief Dele Kelvin Oye, President of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), who is also the Vice Chairman, Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA); Chairman, Odu’a Investment Company, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru as well as other key stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

Governor Oyebanji articulated the government’s vision for agricultural advancement, emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships in driving progress. He underscored Ekiti State’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for investment and urged other investors to explore the vast opportunities available in the state, particularly in sectors such as tourism, mining, and the burgeoning Ekiti Knowledge Zone and Special Agriculture Processing Zone.

He described the MOU as a testament of his administration’s commitment to the continuity of programmes of the immediate past administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi as enunciated in the State’s 30- year development plan. “This also speaks to alignment of vision. John ( Olajide) wants to create jobs. We want our people to prosper by creating opportunities for them. So, we found a good partner in John and the CAVISTA group”,he said.

He expressed gratitude to Cavista for its unwavering commitment to Ekiti State, which has led to several success stories in the Tourism and the Agriculture sectors, bringing about jobs opportunities and income to the state.

“The private sector is very critical to developing our economy, and as a government we must ensure that the process of doing business is easy, seamless and top-notch. I am very proud that Cavista has continued to demonstrate confidence in our state, and all their investments are now success stories. So I look forward to the successful implementation of this MOU to the benefit of Ekiti State and Nigeria”.

Chairman of Cavista Holdings,Niyi John Olajide stated that the company had no regrets investing in Ekiti, adding that its commitment is driven by his desire to create thousands of jobs for the people of the state.

“The success of our investment in Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and our previous agricultural investment in the state, is what encouraged us to embark on this new cassava revolution initiative, to be driven by our subsidiary – Agbeyewa Farms. We are very proud of our partnership with the state and driven by my personal goal to create thousands of jobs in the state, we look forward to another successful partnership with the Ekiti State government under the distinguished leadership of Governor Abiodun Oyebanji”. He said.

Mohammed Shosanya

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says its fertilisers donation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security,last week,does not represent a resumption direct interventions in the real sectors of the economy.

The apex bank donated 2. 15 million tonnes of assorted fertilisers, worth over N 100 billion to the ministry last week.

The CBN explained that the donated fertilisers were the remnants of its stock, which were blended under its previous interventions in the agricultural sector.

According to the bank,the decision was aimed at supporting domestic agricultural production rather than allowing the fertilizers to remain unused and go to waste.

The bank added that the fertilisers were released to the ministry which deals directly with farmers because as the Governor has said at many fora, “CBN is realigning its focus towards its core mandate of ensuring monetary and price stability,thus stopping its direct involvement in development finance interventions.”

The CBN has, however, promised to support relevant organisations that possess the expertise and capacity to intervene directly.

The CBN made the decision to donate the fertilisers to Nigerian farmers through the ministry which possesses the institutional knowledge and infrastructure to effectively distribute the fertilizers to the last mile.

“This partnership is aimed at supporting the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s efforts to enhance food productivity and security, ultimately curbing food inflation and reinforcing the CBN’s pursuit of price stability,” the bank said.

The bank has recommended that the ministry which possesses the requisite expertise and capacity in these matters be responsible for ensuring the fertilisers reach the farmers in the most efficient and effective manner.

Mohammed Shosanya

Mr. Olayemi Cardoso,Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),has given 2.15million bags of fertilizer worth over N100billion to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security(FMAFS) for distribution to Nigerian farmers in a bid to boost food production and reduce the high cost of food items in the markets.

Cardoso,who disclosed this on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Abuja, said the gesture was aimed at amplifying food production and fostering price stabilisation within the agricultural sector.

According to him,food prices are a crucial component of inflation, especially considering that a substantial portion of household expenditure in Nigeria is allocated towards food and non-alcoholic beverages.

He said: “It is with great honour and enthusiasm that I stand before you today to address a matter of paramount importance that not only aligns with the core objectives of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food Security but also resonates deeply with the livelihoods of all Nigerians – the escalating cost of food.

“As we are all well aware, Hon. Minister, the Central Bank of Nigeria significantly emphasises maintaining price stability as one of its primary mandates.

“Food prices are a crucial component of inflation, especially considering that a substantial portion of household expenditure in Nigeria is allocated towards food and non-alcoholic beverages.

“This reinforces the critical need to address food inflation as a pivotal aspect of managing overall headline inflation rates.

“While the CBN has been implementing comprehensive measures to curb inflation, it is evident that in the short term, inflationary pressures may persist, predominantly driven by escalating food prices.

“This is precisely why we convene today – to strengthen our collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to mitigate the surge in food prices.

“In alignment with our strategic shift towards focusing on our fundamental mandate, the CBN has veered away from direct quasi-fiscal interventions and transitioned towards leveraging conventional monetary policy tools for executing monetary policies effectively.

“In this light,we aim to extend our support and foster closer ties with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with the mandate and expertise to undertake these critical initiatives.

“Consequently, we aim to enhance our partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, bolstering your endeavours to enhance food productivity and security, ultimately curbing food inflation and fortifying our pursuit of price stability.

“In pursuit of these shared goals, we are delighted to announce the allocation of 2.15 million bags of fertiliser, valued at over 100 billion naira, which we humbly hand over to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

“This contribution from the Central Bank aims to amplify food production capabilities and foster price stabilization within the agricultural sector.

“My team and I reiterate our unwavering commitment to prioritising price stability and instilling confidence in the Nigerian economy by upholding consumer price stability and ensuring a balanced foreign exchange market.

Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, thanked the governor of CBN for the provision of 2.15million assorted fertiliser.

He assured that the fertilizer would be judiciously distributed and used for the cultivation of food items in the country.

He expressed optimism that the gesture from the CBN would arrest galloping food inflation, adding that Nigeria has had very challenging period in the last eight months.

Kyari emphasized the need for all -year- round farming, adding that the Federal Government provides 50 percent subsidy on fertiliser to farmers.

He explained that through the Presidential directive, that farmers are further supported with 75percent subsidy on fertiliser, noting that seeds, herbicides and insecticides are given to farmers free of charge.

The minister,who expressed optimism that the gesture from the CBN would go a long way during the dry and wet season farming in the country,disclosed that dry season wheat farming which was flagged-off in Jigawa State by the Federal Government in collaboration with the State in November 2023, would be harvested soon.

He further revealed that wheat farming would be scaled up from the present 120,000 hectares to 250,000 hectares by next year, with the support from the African Development Bank(AfDB).

In his remarks, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, said the provision of the fertiliser would go a long way to reduce the prices of food items in the markets.

Mohammed Shosanya

The Oyo state government has said it will commence disbursement of N 340. 270 million to eligible crop farmers across the seven zones of the state as from Friday, February 9, 2024.

This is in addition to a sum of N416.850m recently disbursed to 1,407 farmers across the state in the third batch of the programme.

The state government had provided a sum of N1billion under the
Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery ( SAfER) initiative of the state government to support farmers in the state to cushion the effects of subsidy removal by the federal government.

Addressing newsmen on the progress of the SAfER programme at the Press Centre of the Governor’s Office on Thursday, the Chairman, Agric Credit Corporation of Oyo State,(ACCOS), Sheikh Taofeek Akeugbagold, explained that project has been non-partisan as it is available for the generality of legitimate farmers and would-be farmers of the state including the youths that were trained by the State Government under the YEAP programme.

He said, in view of the present economic hardship being experienced by the citizenry of the state, the Corporation has been given a marching order to better the lots of the peasants most importantly in the area of agriculture.

He gave a breakdown of the how funds were disbursed with reference to the categorization of the state into seven(7) major zones.

According to him, in Ibadan Zone I which is supervised by the Bank of Agriculture, Ibadan, a total number 547 beneficiaries have been disbursed with a sum of N156.75Om, while Ibadan Zone II undertaken by Onibuore Microfinance Bank has disbursed the sum of N118.950m to 401 beneficiaries.

“However, in Oyo Zone undertaken by the Bank of Agriculture, Oyo, a total number of 171 beneficiaries have collected the sum of N50,700m while Ogbomoso Zone handled by Randalpha Microfinance Bank disbursed the sum of N29.250m to 84 beneficiaries.

“Also Oke Ogun Zone 1 handled by Ifedapo Microfinance Bank, Saki, disbursed a total sum of N26.230m to 79 beneficiaries while Oke Ogun Zone 2 supervised by Bank of Agriculture Iseyin disbursed the sum of N30.800m to 110 beneficiaries and Ibarapa Zone undertaken by Igboora Microfinance Bank disbursed the sum of N4.050m to 15 beneficiaries.”

“This makes the total sum of N416.85Om disbursed to 1,407 farmers,” he said.

Besides, Akeugbagold also gave the breakdown of how funds for the 4th batch will be disbursed across the various zones as from tomorrow Friday 9th February, 2024 as follows:

“Ibadan I :To be undertaken by Bank of Agriculture, Ibadan.75.950m for 269 beneficiaries.Ibadan II: Represented by Onibuore
Microfinance Bank ,N132.250m for 474 beneficiaries.”

“Oyo: Bank of Agriculture, Oyo N24.50m for 87 beneficiaries.Oke-Ogun I:Ifedapo beneficiaries
Microfinance ,N 26.270 m for 93 beneficiaries.

“Oke-Ogun II:Bank of Agriculture, Iseyin. N13.450m for 53 beneficiaries.Ogbomoso: Randalpha Microfinance Bank N44.200m for 159 beneficiaries.Ibarapa: lgboora Microfinance Bank N23.650m for 92 beneficiaries.”

Assuring that real farmers that missed out from all the batches that have been previously considered will be taken care of once the payment is coming forth, he also implored fresh graduates who are interested in agricultural practices to approach the corporation to access fund.

He admonished all the beneficiaries to complement the effort of the government by being faithful with the funds they obtained and to reciprocate the kind gesture of the government by paying back the fund by the due date such that others could benefit from it as a revolving fund.

Mohammed Shosanya

The Federal Government,has approved the commercial release of transgenic insect resistant and drought tolerant maize varieties, known as TELA maize.

The approval was granted by the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock breeds/Fisheries (NCNRRCVLF) headed by Prof Olusoji Olufajo at its 37th meeting at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan on Thursday.

A statement on Friday explained that the four varieties approved by the NVRC are, SAMMAZ 72T, SAMMAZ 73T, SAMMAZ 74T, and SAMMAZ 75T.

The new maize varieties are drought tolerant and are resistant to stem-borer and fall armyworm resulting in yield advantage of up to 10 tonnes per hectare under good agronomic practices.

The national average for similar hybrids is 6 tonnes per hectare. The varieties are suitable for Rain Forest, Guinea, and Sudan Savannas.

Stem-borer reduces maize production in several countries in Africa, while fall armyworm can destroy up to 20 million metric tons of maize in Africa each year, enough to feed 100 million people.

The release and registration of the four varieties followed environmental release approval in October 2021 granted by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).

Development of the improved varieties was led by the Institute for Agricultural
Research (IAR) Samaru, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria through the TELA Maize Public-Private Partnership coordinated by AATF.

The TELA Maize Project is currently being implemented in 5 countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Prof Ado Yusuf, Executive Director, IAR expressed satisfaction with the release of the new four maize varieties saying, “IAR is very proud of our scientists who are addressing the maize productivity challenges in the country and beyond.

“These varieties have undergone thorough research and have been developed using the tools of biotechnology over several years of continuous testing and revalidation.”

Dr Canisius Kanangire,Executive Director of African Agricultural Technology Foundation(AATF) said, “the release of TELA Maize in Nigeria will contribute to food and nutrition security in line with the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation agenda.

“AATF reaffirms unwavering commitment to addressing challenges faced by farmers across the continent.”

Professor Garba Sharubutu, the Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), said the approval of the TELA Maize variety in Nigeria is a critical milestone that confirms the potential of biotechnology in ensuring food and nutrition security, and improved livelihood of farming households in Africa.

Prof. Mustapha Abdullahi, Director-General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) celebrated the release saying that, with the advent of TELA Maize, farmers will reduce the use of pesticides on maize to the bare minimum which is beneficial to humans, livestock, and environment.

Dr Sylvester Oikeh, the TELA Maize Project Manager celebrated the decision by Nigeria by calling on other countries in Africa to act for farmers.

“I am encouraged by this decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria that reflects their commitment to the needs of farmers.

“I congratulate the scientists for their hard work and dedication that has seen the product getting closer to farmers and look forward to other countries making similar decisions for the good of the farmer,” he said.